“Things will work out,” O’Malley assured her. “Karl recognized the poker chip, I’m certain.”
“Great, he recognized the chip, but he didn’t recognize his own sister.” She perched on the edge of a large rock near to the fire. O’Malley couldn’t take his eyes off the smooth tanned skin of her legs.
“I guess the poker chip was easier. Less pain attached to it. Less emotional baggage.” He winced at his words. “I’m not saying you are baggage.”
“Don’t worry, I know what you mean.” She leaned forward, still holding her pants out to the fire which was well established now.
“I should go and get more wood.” He stood up and dusted off his hands. “I’ll grab enough to replace what we’ve used and keep the fire burning for the next few hours.”
“Won’t the wood get too wet?” Hannah asked, looking over her shoulder at the water spraying up at the entrance to the cave.
“It’ll be dry enough.” He went to her, leaned down, and kissed her cheek before he left the cave. The rocks were slippery, and his clothes were wet, but his hot shifter blood kept the chill at bay. He intended to collect the firewood as fast as possible before returning to his mate.
O’Malley glanced over his shoulder. The waterfall hid the glow of the fire and there was no tell-tale smell of wood smoke from the fire. They would have a few hours of peace and quiet to enjoy each other. In that time, he hoped to make sure his mate would come back to him no matter what happened with her father.
He wanted to engrave his name on her heart, or deeper, onto her soul so that she could not stand being apart from him for a single day.
But he also wanted Hannah to resolve her issues with her father and come to him free of pain and with an open heart.
Chapter Twenty-Two – Hannah
O’Malley returned with the wood, crossing the large rocks that led into the cave with ease now that she wasn’t hanging on to him.
Hannah had to admire her mate’s physique. She just had to. A smile crept over her face. It was hard to believe he was all hers.
“Do you need a hand with the wood?” Hannah had taken her clean, dry jeans from her pack and put them on once she’d dried off by the fire. She would keep them on until they ventured back out of the cave when she would change into her damp clothes before changing back to her jeans.
She would smell of wood smoke, but as soon as she got back to civilization, she could grab her luggage from the trunk of her car and change. After a shower. She raked her hand through her hair. A shower sounded like heaven right now.
“I can manage.” He dumped the wood down in a pile toward the back of the cave and sorted out the driest branches and set them down next to the fire.
“I filled the water bottles.” She settled back down next to the fire.
“And you got dressed.” He sounded disappointed.
“I was afraid a marauding bear shifter or maybe a wolf would come in here to shelter. I didn’t want anyone to find me half-dressed.” She hugged her knees up to her chest as she watched him place the branches on the fire.
“I wouldn’t have let a marauding anything come in here,” he told her.
“No, I don’t expect you would.” Hannah leaned her cheek on her knee. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
“I know.” He built the fire up and took the small pan from his backpack, half-filled it with water, and put it over the fire. “And you know I was more than willing to come here with you and despite the outcome not being what you’d hoped, I have enjoyed spending time with you.”
“I’ve enjoyed being here with you, too.” Hannah turned her gaze to the flames. “The mountains are amazing, and I can’t imagine being here with anyone other than you.”
“Except for my cougar?” O’Malley laughed. “He’s driving me crazy, he wants to spend some time with you before we leave.”
“Then why don’t I do the cooking and he can bask in the radiance of the fire you’ve built.” She shifted her weight and knelt on the ground next to O’Malley. “You do trust me with the cooking, don’t you?”
“I trust you, it’s only my male pride and the notion that I am the provider that makes me want to say no.” He flashed her a grin.
“Well, the woman should be in the kitchen and the man should be guarding the home. So you shift and I’ll cook.” She kissed his cheek and took the trail rations out of his hand. “That is only while we are here in the cave. So that I can get a real feel of what it would be like centuries ago.”
“Ah, and I thought I’d met my perfect woman who knew her place.” He ducked out of the way as she waved the packet of beef stew at his head. “Now, don’t get above your station.”
“I think you should shift before you say something we’ll both regret.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes, knowing he was only joking. It was good to laugh, to have fun with O’Malley. “I’m sorry if I’ve not been the best company during our time here.”
He quickly wrapped his arm around her and held her close. “You have been great company. We’re in this together which means we must experience the highs and the lows. That’s what relationships are all about.”
“I suppose that’s what I’ve missed about my family. We seem to have been in the lows for so long that I’ve forgotten what it’s like to have highs.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m ready for some highs.”
“I
